In the Line of Fire
by leiasky
Summary: FAM Zorro series. Diego takes a shot meant for Victoria and she must come to grips with a startling revelation. COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Title: In the Line of Fire

Rated : PG

Synopsis: Diego takes a shot meant for Victoria and she must come to grips with a startling revelation.

Misc Notes: This story takes place a few months after the series finale _'A Conspiracy of Blood'_

Written: 5/12/05

Disclaimer: This story was written solely for the enjoyment of other Zorro fans and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Goodman/Rosen Productions, New World Television, Zorro Productions, the estate of Johnston McCulley or anyone else.

****

In the Line of Fire

Diego smiled as he watched Victoria bustle around the tavern with practiced ease. She smiled and greeted every customer, making them feel important and welcome in her establishment.

He found himself watching her a bit too closely as well and when Mendoza slapped him playfully across the shoulder, his eyes snapped quickly away. Thankfully, the good Sergeant was only concerned with his meal; and wondered only if Diego had yet ordered.

"I have, Sergeant." Diego answered politely. He'd taken to inviting the soldier to have dinner with him once a week. With a free meal, Mendoza tended to be a bit more loose-lipped where the alcalde's nefarious plans were concerned. He'd learned a lot in the past few weeks. He'd only cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner.

Alejandro stepped into the bustling tavern and joined his son at the corner table. "Busy today!" He exasperated, noting that they rarely sat in the corner. His son always chose a spot closer to the bar. Ironic, since the boy hadn't a taste for wine whatsoever. Alejandro secretly suspected he had more of a taste for the lovely señorita serving that wine.

"Indeed." An odd movement caught Diego's gaze and he shifted his eyes toward the curtain that Victoria had just stepped through.

Alejandro's eyes narrowed as Diego watched the curtain. "Diego? Is something wrong?" His son had been behaving strangely ever since his brother's death. But they hadn't talked much about it. Both men needed to grieve in their own way.

"I don't know." He said absently. If he father would just stop talking, perhaps he could think. He stood quickly. "I'm going to check on Victoria. She's a bit short handed tonight, it seems. I'll fetch our dinner."

"Gracias, Diego." Mendoza smiled widely, oblivious to the tense stance the young caballero had just adopted.

Alejandro started to rise but Diego rested a stilling hand on his father's shoulder. "I'll take care of it." The tone in his son's voice was not something that he heard frequently, and it stopped him in his tracks instantly.

Instinct propelled him to be careful, but as concern for his lovely lady grew, he was careless. He brushed aside the curtain with ease and stepped into the kitchen.

Azure eyes darkened as he scanned the room. Victoria was nowhere to be found. He noticed the door to the small storeroom was slightly ajar and his eyes narrowed. When he pushed the door open, he was greeted with a pistol between the eyes.

"Diego!" Victoria whispered urgently from the other side of the small room.

The bandit holding Victoria pulled her tightly against his chest. "No more distraction! Where is that lockbox, Señorita?"

"Get in here, now." Said the bandit who leveled his pistol at Diego. "And close that door tightly."

Diego nodded slowly and did as he was told. His mind was racing. The room was much too small for a fist fight, especially with one of the pistols aimed at Victoria. He glanced at the woman and noted her ragged appearance. If these bandits were only after her money, she wouldn't look as ruffled as she was; and her clothes were torn. _If those bandits dared to touch her in an inappropriate way, he would kill them._

"Now, you were about to tell me where you keep your money, Señorita," The bandit holding Victoria pulled her roughly against his chest. "Or-" His eyes raked appreciatively down her body.

"Get your hands off her!" Diego's voice was cold and calculated and it caused everyone in the room to take pause.

Victoria stared at him suspiciously. She'd never heard him talk to another in such a manner and his tone surprised her.

"Shut up, caballero." The bandit pressed his pistol hard into Diego's chest and backed the young _don_ up against the wall.

"Now, then, where were we?" The bandit shoved his pistol into his sash and reached beneath her skirts to roughly caress her soft skin.

She yelped but the man used his free hand to cover her mouth. "So soft, you'll be a nice, sweet change."

Victoria pounded at his chest but he was simply too large. He pinned her against sacks of grain and tore at her pretty blouse. But before he could get further, she kneed him in the groin, causing him to double over in pain, clutching at the throbbing area. She frantically grasped at anything she could get her hands on, and when she found a solid object, slammed it down on the man's head.

With the man threatening Victoria down, Diego sprang to action and punched the bandit holding him with such force that it flung him across the small room. His pistol fell to the floor, un-fired and Diego pulled Victoria into his arms. "Get out, now!" He pushed her toward the door.

'Diego what about-" The words were lost on her lips as the discarded pistol fired, filling the room with nauseating white smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

****

Chapter 2

"No!" Victoria screamed as she saw her childhood friend jerk away from the bandit holding the pistol. "Diego!"

The two bandits stared in momentary shock as the tall caballero fell to the ground, crimson spreading across his chest and instantly staining his crisp, silk shirt. They pushed past Victoria and ran out of the kitchen, nearly toppling over a concerned Alejandro who had come to check on his wayward son.

"Diego, where-"

Then he'd heard Victoria scream. He called back for the Sergeant but he didn't know if the man had heard him. And he didn't stop to wait. The old _don_ froze in the doorway to the storeroom, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Victoria was cradling his son's head in her lap, tears sliding down her pretty cheeks. She frantically searched for the source of his wound and shrieked when Alejandro stepped into the room. "They tried to rob me. Wanted to hurt me! He-"

Alejandro called loudly again for Mendoza and the soldier nearly barreled into him as he rushed through the door. The tavern was quiet now, having heard the pistol discharge and seen the two bandits rush out.

Felipe rushed in as well, having arrived moments before to join his adopted family for dinner. The sight of his friend and the father of his heart lying so still in Victoria's arms frightened him like nothing ever had before.

"Mendoza, get help. Those two men that ran out of here tried to rob Victoria, and," He glanced at his unmoving son, covered in his own bright crimson blood. "And they shot my son!"

Felipe gestured dramatically, cursing that he could not speak. Alejandro nodded quickly, seeming to understand the boy's wild gestures. "Yes, get Doctor Hernandez, quickly!"

"Diego," Victoria whispered his name over and over as she applied pressure to the wound. Warm blood spread over her fingers and she sobbed into his hair, pressing a kiss into the soft dark locks. "Ai, dios, please." She rocked his body as she would a baby, trying in vain to wake him, keep him conscious.

Clouded blue eyes opened momentarily to regard her with a confused gaze. But she was too torn, too upset to see the apologetic love that radiated in that simple look.

Victoria squeezed his shoulders reassuringly, encouraged that he'd opened his eyes, "Yes, you need to stay awake. Please, Diego." She begged, putting more pressure on the wound.

He coughed suddenly and his body trembled. She held him tightly as Alejandro knelt beside them. "Hold on, son. The Doctor is coming."

A small crowd had gathered outside the room and when Felipe returned with the Doctor, they had to push their way through the crush of people. Soldiers soon cleared the room and closed the tavern, pushing closed the doors and locking them securely.

Diego tried to speak but no words would come out. The pain was nearly unbearable and he closed his eyes in an effort to drown it out. He could barely hear Victoria, her sweet voice begging him to stay conscious. It was necessary and he knew it. If he had any chance to live through this injury, he needed to stay awake. But, the pain was so great, and it was getting harder to breathe.

He felt the Doctor kneel beside him, felt the man frantically dab at the nasty wound. The voice sounded a million miles away and he tried to focus on it, to drown out the pain and focus only on the voice of the woman he secretly loved begging him to stay awake.

He tried to speak, but his breath was stolen away as the Doctor poured alcohol over the wound to clean it.

"No," Victoria pressed a slim finger to his lips. She was still holding him. "Don't speak. It will sap your strength. Just stay awake. Please."

"Keep talking to him Victoria,' Hernandez encouraged the distraught woman. "He seems to respond to your voice."

"It seems to have gone right through him," Hernandez observed. Searching the wound had produced no pistol ball and he was encouraged. At least he wouldn't need to injure his patient further by digging around inside him. "This is good, but I need to cauterize this before he-"

"He's lost so much blood." Alejandro whispered from behind Victoria. She was covered in his son's blood, and the floor beneath them ran red with it.

Felipe, anticipating what the Doctor would need, returned with a metal rod, its tip already heated.

A moment of clarity washed over Diego as he watched the Doctor approach him with the hot poker. Through his pain, he struggled to put together the fragmented words he so desperately wanted to voice. Victoria held his hand, absently rubbing it, whispering words of encouragement. His eyes finally locked with hers and the world fell away, the pain and the anguish, the waiting for the day he could safely declare his love. He could feel his life slipping away with every labored breath and he could not let that happen without telling her how he felt.

"Shh," her hand slid into his hair again, rubbing soothingly. "Save your strength."

If they were the last words he said in this life, he wanted them to be what he hadn't the courage to say before now. As the Doctor pressed the hot rod against his torn flesh, Diego grimaced and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Tears escaped from between them but he forced them open as a nauseating wave of pain wracked his body.

Diego's eyes cleared for a fleeting moment as he stared at Victoria. Sensing he wanted to say something, she leaned closer. But she was not prepared for the weak kiss he pressed against her trembling lips and the determined admonition of, "I - love - you, " that slipped from between his lips in a strangled whisper. His voice was barely audible over the pounding of his own heart, and the hearts of everyone crammed into the little room.

He could hear Victoria's gasp and could see the fading image of his father's shocked stare. Before Diego's world went black, he could feel Victoria's warm breath as she sat stunned, could feel her warm, salty tears mingle with his own.

The Doctor hesitated not one bit, knowing the effort it took his young patient to say those words to the woman he loved. He simply continued his work until he glanced up and noticed padre Benitez standing over him, a knowing look in his concerned gaze.

"I'm afraid to move him." Hernandez said aloud, not really to anyone in particular. "But he cannot lay here on this cold floor."

"The hacienda is too far away. You cannot move him that far. He can rest and recover in the quiet surroundings of the church." Benitez turned to Alejandro, who nodded slowly, clearly still contemplating his son's words. He patted the old _don's_ hand and turned to ask for assistance with a litter to carry the wounded man.

Prying Victoria's hands from Diego's took some doing, but the padre whispered soothing words into her ears and she finally, reluctantly, released the unconscious man's limp hand.

After they'd carried him out, she simply sat there, glancing at her blood-covered hands and her blood-soaked clothes. The padre stayed with her as Alejandro and Felipe followed the Doctor to the church.

"My dear," the padre began after many minutes of sob-littered silence.

Victoria looked up after several moments, her eyes suddenly very clear. "You knew, didn't you?"

The padre smiled slowly. What he knew and how he knew it would be a secret he kept until his dying day. "Knew what, Victoria?"

"He said he loved me." She shook her head, trying to make some sense out of what happened tonight. "He's never-" She sobbed, clutching at her bloodstained skirts.

"Never given you any indication of his feelings?" Benitez finished for her and smiled sadly when she nodded. _Oh, he's told you, my dear, but not in the same form that just did today. _"Diego is a very private and complicated man, I think," The padre began, hoping to lift her mood by talking about their friend. "I'm not sure many of us know the true man beneath what we see every day."

Victoria glanced curiously up at the padre. "Why do you say that?"

"Think back, Victoria. To every day you've spent with him," The padre took the chance and lifted her to her feet. "He's a kind, generous man." Benitez chuckled softly. "And probably more than a bit intimidated by Zorro."

Victoria's eyes lit momentarily at the mention of her masked love, but her solemn look returned when she thought of the friend who had saved her life tonight. Now was not the time to think about Zorro. Only Diego mattered right now.

"He saved my life." Victoria said slowly, replaying the events that had led to this moment, slowly through her mind. "He put himself between me and the pistol." Frightened eyes swept around the room before settling on the good padre. "He took that shot meant for me."

The padre nodded in understanding and continued slowly, "Diego has loved you for a very long time."

Victoria sobbed and shook her head, denying the padre's words. "No, that isn't possible. I would have seen, would have noticed."

The padre leveled a sad-eyed gaze at the distraught woman. "As obsessed with Zorro as you are, my dear. That you notice the most brazen man interested in your affections, is a surprise."

"I love him." Victoria said sharply. Defending her loyalty and love of Zorro to the padre was not something she wanted to do right now.

"Ah, yes. But do you love _him_ or the _idea_ of him?"

Victoria stared curiously at the padre as led her out the door. She turned and cast one last look at the blood-stained floor and swallowed a sob.

"I love everything he stands for, and everything he does, everything he is-" Why did she feel the need to defend her love to the padre?

"Everything he is." The padre nodded as they walked up the stairs to her room. "He is a man beneath that mask, my dear; A man who loves you with all of his heart. Would he not do anything and everything to protect you with, or without, that mask?"

Her eyes shot toward him as he led her into her room, "You must change. I will wait for you." He stepped out of the small room and closed the door.

She stared long and hard at the closed door unable to process clearly the events that had led her to this moment. She sank against the wood, sobbing, wondering why the padre would bring up Zorro at a time like this. When her best friend in the entire world had just taken a bullet for her. He'd saved her life and in the process may have lost his own.

Victoria cried, loudly, and for a long time. Until the implications of the good padre's words pierced her heart like the sharpest steel blade. She slumped heavily against the doorframe, breathless with the shocking realization that rushed through her tortured mind.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The padre waited outside of her door, his hand pressed to the wood in a silent prayer. He'd given her the knowledge if she could only see through her grief to see it for what it was. Diego would need all of her support, and her love, to make it through this.

Maria, one of the part-time tavern help bounded up the stairs and greeted the padre with a sad smile. She'd rushed over to the tavern as soon as she'd heard what happened. The whole pueblo was buzzing with the news.

"Please help her." He said with a gentle hand to the woman's arm. "I must return to the church."

Maria rasped on the door as the padre left, calling Victoria's name quietly.

When the she didn't answer, Maria cracked open the door and found the woman sobbing uncontrollably into still bloodstained hands.

"Oh, Victoria!" Maria knelt beside her friend. "We need to get you out of these clothes and cleaned up."

At the sound of Maria's voice, Victoria looked up. She nodded wordlessly and allowed Maria to help her change. She slowly, almost reverently washed the blood off her hands and face, while tears slipped unchecked down her cheeks.

"I need to get to the church," Victoria rushed out the door and down the stairs, Maria on her heels.

"Victoria, what about-"

"Take care of the tavern for me, please!" Victoria called as she rushed across the plaza. She had no idea where she was going but she had to get into the church, she had to be with her friend.

Victoria ran into the padre on her way inside and he calmly led her to the back room where they'd taken Diego. Her heart caught in her chest when she saw him lying there, motionless and pale. She ignored everyone in the room and rushed to his side and gripped tightly the pale, cold hand.

"Please, you can't die." The distraught woman begged and even Alejandro was taken aback by her plea. "You can't leave me all alone in this world. You can't."

The padre allowed himself a small smile, realizing that she had understood the meaning of his words to her in the tavern. Sad eyes shifted toward the unconscious man in the bed and he whispered a silent prayer to God to pull the young man through.

Victoria cried for hours, clutching at Diego's pale, cold hand. Alejandro, even through his grief thought her reaction strange but was grateful the young woman felt so strongly about his only son.

When the padre came in to offer prayers, Victoria and Alejandro silently mouthed them with the kind friar.

Over the next few days, Diego's fever worsened. The doctor had taken to staying in the next room to keep a close eye on his patient. Dozens of well-wishers came to see the injured man but were turned away by the kind padre with a simple plea - to pray.

Victoria had refused to leave, muttering that it was her fault that Diego was lying in this bed fighting for his life and she wasn't leaving until he was well enough to get up and walk out on his own. She still could not fully comprehend the secret she had learned and resolved to deal with one heart-wrenching situation at a time.

The padre counseled patience but Victoria would hear none of it. She watched Diego's face for any signs of recognition to her voice but his eyes remained closed, long lashes lying lightly against pale, clammy cheeks.

Felipe brought soup three times a day, and Victoria almost reverently held Diego's head and forced him to swallow some of the liquid. If she could just get some nourishment into him, perhaps it would give him the strength to get well.

Alejandro had also refused to return to the hacienda, instead what little time he spent outside of his son's sick room, he spent sleeping in one of the spare rooms next door; ones that visiting priests would use upon their visit to the pueblo.

"It's my fault." Victoria sobbed one evening when the silence had become too much. It had been a difficult day struggling to get the young caballero to simply breathe. His fever had gotten no better and every breath seemed labored even though the doctor was certain that his lungs had not collapsed.

The padre remained silent and simply allowed the woman to vent. Alejandro had been forcibly removed from his son's room and given a sleeping draught so had not been present to hear the young woman's guilty admonition. Victoria was next on the padre's force-to-sleep list, but he wanted her to release some of her guilt so that sleep would come easier.

"He took that shot for me. He put himself in the way." Victoria pressed a kiss to his palm and watched his face closely. "Why did you do it, Diego? Please wake up and tell me why."

"I think you know the answer to that, my dear." The padre's soft voice answered and for a moment, she glanced down, thinking, hoping, that it had been Diego that had answered her question. Her shoulders sank when she realized it had only been wishful thinking and sobbed against his hand.

"It's too impossible to believe, Padre." Victoria finally said, leveling a strong stare at the friar, remembering it was he who had finally convinced her of certain secrets surrounding the life of her best friend.

"Look into your heart and perhaps it will not seem so impossible." The padre smiled kindly.

"If he dies-" Victoria suddenly stood and rushed out of the room, leaving the padre to stare questioningly after her.

Tears dripped down her cheeks as she ran across the plaza and into the tavern. Once in her room, she rifled through her secret belongings and with trembling fingers. Reverently, she pulled from its hidden location, the ring Zorro had given her the day he'd asked her to become his wife.

She stared at it, seeing the magnificent craftsmanship seemingly for the first time. A man of wealth and position would own such a fine piece of jewelry. She sobbed and clutched the ring tightly to her chest as she ran back to the church.

When she returned, she didn't notice Alejandro's dark-rimmed eyes staring curiously at her. The padre was sitting silently next to Alejandro, offering yet another quiet prayer.

Without thought, she held the ring out to Diego, imploring his unconscious form to answer. She squeezed his hand tightly.

Alejandro and the padre exchanged a look before Alejandro's eyes focused on the unmistakable piece of jewelry in Victoria's hands.

"Victoria?"

She didn't answer. Simply continued to implore Diego to wake and answer her questions.

"Victoria?" Alejandro stood, agitated at her unwillingness to respond. His eyes never left the ring she held. That had belonged to his wife. How did it come to be in Victoria's possession?

When she didn't answer yet again, he reached out and grasped her hands. When he folded his fingers around the ring Zorro had given her, she glanced up at him.

"Zorro-" She breathed. "He- he gave this to me."

The padre's eyes narrowed and Alejandro glanced at his son and then back at the ring Victoria held in her trembling hands.

"He gave you my wife's wedding ring?" Alejandro asked quietly.

Victoria sobbed loudly, the final confirmation slamming into her mind like a tidal wave. She buried her face in her hands. "Why didn't I see it? How could I have been so blind?"

Alejandro stared at Victoria a look of disbelief crossing his weathered face. "Victoria, do you mean to tell me-" He cast a long look at his son and then took a deep breath. "Do you mean to - No, that can't be possible."

"Zorro gave this to me the day he asked me to marry him." Victoria sobbed. "He promised that soon we would be together."

"Zorro wouldn't steal-"

"Zorro is no thief." The padre whispered quietly.

This left only one explanation. "My son?" Alejandro's voice faltered. "Is - is, Zorro?"

Felipe skidded to a halt in the doorway, his eyes wide. He stared at the ring Victoria held, recognizing it as the one Zorro had given to Victoria that day in the cave.

Alejandro glanced up at Felipe, eyes narrowed. All the pieces of a complicated, yet simple puzzle began to fall into place. "You knew, didn't you?"

Victoria stared expectantly up at the young boy and his eyes darted from one shocked face to another.

Felipe moved to stand beside his adopted father's bedside and reached down to rest a hand on the unconscious man's arm. He lowered his eyes apologetically and slowly turned to Alejandro. When Felipe nodded his head in the affirmation that the older don wasn't _truly_ expecting, the man slumped against the bed, eyes welling with shameful tears.

"Dios." Alejandro sobbed, clutching his son's hand tightly. "How could I have been so blind?"

Felipe shook his head and placed a comforting hand on his adopted grandfather's shoulder.

But Alejandro continued, "I called him a coward for not standing up to the injustice running rampant in this pueblo." He risked a glance at Victoria, who still sat motionless on the other side of the bed, her own hands wrapped around those of his unconscious son. "I nagged him like an old hen. I treated him so poorly." Alejandro buried his face in his hands, ashamed at the memories that wouldn't go away despite how tightly he closed his eyes.

"He will live," Victoria finally said, finding her voice. "He has to." She stared down at the man she'd fallen in love with so long ago. "He has too much explaining to do. I won't allow him to escape my wrath so easily."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

Alejandro slumped in his chair, sleep refusing to draw the distraught father into its sweet embrace. Victoria had finally succumbed to exhaustion, but even she was uncomfortably sprawled in a chair across from him, her head pillowed against his son's motionless hand.

It was all too much for his sleep-deprived mind to comprehend. His son; Zorro! He couldn't quite bring himself to believe it. Victoria believed it. The padre believed it. Felipe, had known for some time! Alejandro just couldn't believe that his son had been able to carry out such a deception under his very nose. In his own hacienda.

But if it was true, then no amount of penance could he do to correct his mistakes, his harsh words, his continued insults and disappointment in his son's actions - or, lack thereof.

Felipe stepped in carrying a tray of food for the unconscious man and his two dedicated caretakers. Alejandro took the tray and set it on a nearby table and implored Felipe to take a seat. "Tell me, please."

Felipe shook his head and gestured slowly. He couldn't betray his friends trust. Diego would need to tell them of his secret life. If he - died, before he could; then Felipe would deliver the letters, written in Diego's own hand, detailing his actions as the masked bandit.

Alejandro sighed sadly, disappointed that Felipe would tell him nothing. The doctor came and went, as did the Padre, but Diego's condition had not changed.

When Victoria awoke, the dark circles under her eyes and the lack of smile on her beautiful face seemed to have aged her by years. Felipe gave her a warm plate of fresh tamales but she picked at it, eating a few bites at most.

Commotion outside the door drew the attention of everyone crammed into the tiny room and Alejandro angrily pulled open the door just as the alcalde reached for the knob.

"My son is ill, sir. Please keep your voice down."

"I've come to inform you that we have caught one of the two bandits responsible for injuring your son." DeSoto glanced inside but Alejandro situated himself in such a way as to obscure the alcalde's vision of his son.

"Thank you for your dedication in this matter," Alejandro was in no mood to deal with the alcalde.

"We are still searching for the other." DeSoto added as Alejandro stepped back and began to close the door.

"Curious that Zorro has not come to your aid. He's always been quite the staunch defender of your family." The alcalde added quickly, causing Alejandro to stare up at him.

"Perhaps its time for your men to start doing their jobs rather than depending on Zorro to do it for them." Alejandro snapped, a little more harshly than he intended. But his patience was at an end and he wasn't in the mood to play the alcalde's games.

DeSoto's eyes narrowed at that but he was prevented from commenting further when the padre stepped quietly into the room. "Please, Señores, Diego doesn't need to hear your bickering."

"So he's woken, then?" A curios eyebrow raised at the implication.

"No." Alejandro stepped aside so the padre could enter the room, and then closed the door, leaving the alcalde outside.

"Very interesting that Zorro has not come to your aid." DeSoto turned on his heel and strode out, calling for Mendoza as soon as he set foot into the plaza. "Very interesting, indeed."

"Sí, mí alcalde?" Mendoza clumsily smoothed his wrinkled uniform.

"Have you seen Zorro at all since de la Vega was shot?"

Mendoza thought for a moment. "No, alcalde. But, it has only been a few days. We don't usually see Zorro unless you-" The Sergeant coughed.

An eyebrow raised curiously. "Unless I? What, Sergeant?"

"Well," Mendoza gulped.

"Spit it out."

"Well, unless you-"

"Yes?"

"Unless you start overly taxing or hurting the people." Mendoza said quickly, wincing as he waited for the alcalde to refute his statement or worse.

"Yes, indeed." DeSoto rubbed his whiskered chin. "I do believe that it is time to levy a new tax. I've grown fond of Zorro's visits to the plaza. I find, I - miss him if too many days go by without his arrogant appearance."

Mendoza stared at DeSoto. "A - new - tax? What else is left to tax, mí alcalde?"

"You shall see." DeSoto grinned wickedly and turned to lay a firm hand on Mendoza's shoulder. "Take a few lancers out and patrol the countryside."

"Uh - what are we looking for, alcalde?"

"Zorro, of course!"

Mendoza stared incredulously after DeSoto and shook his head wondering when the man's incessant quest to find the masked man would finally end.

"The alcalde is up to something, my son." Alejandro gripped Diego's hand tightly. "You must wake up. If- if Zorro doesn't make an appearance soon." The old don sighed. "He is an intelligent man. He'll figure it out."

"Perhaps it is time to move him to the hacienda." The padre said slowly. "Doctor Hernandez says he's stable enough."

"But he's still unconscious!" Victoria's eyes widened.

"Yes, but he will be more comfortable in his own bed. In familiar surroundings."

Alejandro agreed. "Perhaps familiar surroundings _will_ help him heal." He turned to Felipe. "Ride back to the hacienda and bring the carriage. Make sure there is enough bedding to keep him comfortable for the journey."

Felipe nodded and quickly left to follow Alejandro's instructions.

When he returned, he noticed the Sergeant walking slowly, nervously through the plaza. He stopped to watch as the Sergeant nailed a piece of parchment to the post outside the alcalde's office.

People gathered to read the notice as Mendoza hurried off to post another copy on the outside of the tavern. By the time the nervous Sergeant was finished, the plaza was filled with people, all griping over the announcement of the new 'income' tax.

Felipe jumped down from the wagon and quickly read over the parchment that Mendoza had just affixed to the outside of the church wall. If he could have formed the words to swear, he would have done so - and confessed such a thing at a later date. Zorro would be needed to force the alcalde to rescind this new tax. But Zorro was lying on a cot in the church fighting for his life.

The mute rushed into the church, a plan formulating in his mind. First he needed to help Alejandro get Diego home and settled into bed, and then he would put his plan in motion. He only hoped it would work, or it wouldn't be long before DeSoto figured out the real man behind the mask was none other than his old schoolmate Diego de la Vega.

Victoria insisted in accompanying Alejandro to the hacienda and Felipe hid a small smile, happy that his friend's fears were unfounded where the pretty Señorita was concerned. Felipe knew that Diego's one and only fear had been that Victoria would not love him, the man behind the mask. But it was very clear, that she did. It wasn't just friendly concern that had kept her glued to the unconscious man's side for the last several days straight. Felipe only hoped Diego would live long enough to realize it.

"Felipe, please ask Maria to prepare the guest room. Victoria will be staying indefinitely." Alejandro said as he smoothed the cool sheet over his son's chest when they arrived at the hacienda.

Felipe nodded and excused himself, happy that neither Alejandro nor Victoria cared to question him further about Diego's activities as the masked man. He found Maria and delivered Alejandro's message before slipping into the refreshing solitude of Zorro's cave.

In his distraction, he didn't notice two eyes widen as the fireplace door swung closed.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

****

Chapter 5

The mute waited until sunset, as it would be far more difficult to tell that the shoulders of this _new_ Zorro were not so broad, then he put his plan into motion.

For only the second time in nearly five years, he donned the black costume, shrugging uncomfortably at the loose fit of the material. He prayed fervently that Toronado would allow the young mute onto his back. He hadn't the first time. Hopefully the horse would understand the urgency of his request tonight.

The stallion snorted at the figure walking gingerly towards him, sensing the boy's unease. Hooves ground themselves into the dirt, betraying the stallion's agitation. A steady hand scratched the black muzzle, stroked the long neck and muscular shoulder. _Please_, the mute thought. _Please let me on your back._ _Dios please, just this once._

Toronodo reared and Felipe quickly backed out of the way. Removing the mask and hat, Felipe gripped the bridle and stared into the agitated stallion's eyes. _Please_, he implored with his own wide eyes. The stallion snorted and shook his head, his neatly combed mane needing a good brushing once again.

The mute boy stared pleadingly into the black stallions eyes. Tornado snorted but the hooves slowly stopped grounding themselves into the dirt; a positive sign. Felipe replaced the mask and hat while standing in front of the horse, hoping that it would help the large beast to understand.

After a few more minutes, Felipe confidently swung himself into the saddle, briefly thanking God for hearing his prayer.

He rode quickly through the pueblo, careful to mimic Zorro every move. He allowed his actions to speak louder than his words and when the alcalde rushed out of his office and called for his lancers, the masked man saluted the alcalde with a smile and rode away - but not before tearing down the recently posted taxation announcement.

The people still gathered in the pueblo cheered but DeSoto's eyes narrowed at the lack of…enthusiastic taunting in the masked man's actions.

"Lancers! After him!" DeSoto cried but Felipe had already put too great a distance between himself and the inept soldiers.

Alejandro stalked back into the library and stared unflinchingly at the fireplace. He'd been called away just after he saw Felipe disappear through the hidden door and had just found the time to return to the scene. The old don took a deep breath and pressed the panel that would cause the door to swing open. He took a deep breath and then stepped into the cave.

Until now, he really didn't truly believe Victoria's claim, and the Padre's easy acceptance of his son's secret life. But when he stood at the top of the steps and glanced around the small room, his heart plummeted into his stomach. There was no greater proof than what lay before his eyes, and Alejandro felt instantly sick. Sick that he'd treated his son with so little respect. Ashamed that he'd thought of his son in ways unbecoming of a truly loving father. Every biting word, every hurtful insult he'd ever hurled at his son, in anger or indifference, rushed into the forefront of his mind, and his breath caught in his chest. Realizing, he may not have a chance to correct his mistakes.

Alejandro sank to his knees, holding his head in his hands. Sobs wracked his body and he didn't notice the slender black-clad form of Felipe enter the room until he felt the young man's hand on his shoulder.

Alejandro didn't have the energy to speak, to question why Felipe wore Zorro's clothing, why they'd kept this secret from him in his own home. He had so many questions and was not sure if he could trust himself not to break down in the asking of them. The young mute had already seen too much. And Alejandro was a proud man. He couldn't break down in front of his foundling.

Seeing the anguish in Alejandro's eyes, Felipe walked to the elegantly carved desk and removed a leather-bound journal. When he placed it in the old don's hands, the man stared at it with a curious look. He felt the man knew what it was but he was afraid to open it. Afraid to see what words the pages would contain. Felipe had never felt so helpless. He simply wrapped his arms around his guardian and held him as he clutched the journal to his chest.

After several long minutes, Alejandro glanced down at the leather-bound book. "Will this tell me why my son felt the need to lie to me? To keep his true self masked beneath some disguise?"

Felipe wouldn't meet Alejandro's eyes and the man pulled himself out of the young mute's arms. He stalked to the desk and seated himself in the dark mahogany chair. When he flipped the journal open, he choked on the words written on the first page.

__

Here lies an accurate accounting of the adventures of Zorro and the man behind the mask; Diego de la Vega.

Weathered fingers reverently touched the name and Alejandro angrily brushed at the tears that dropped onto the page.

Time came to a halt as Alejandro careful read each and every page. Some tales were long, descriptive depiction of events, some very short, not worth really writing about. But his son was meticulous, he would keep a record of everything. _For my children, and their children_, it was written in the forward. _To give hope to those who wished to fight against the injustice in the world._

Felipe changed quickly, feeling very self-conscious wearing Zorro's clothing. He left Alejandro alone with his thoughts and with Diego's journal and returned every few hours with a drink and plate of food - which went largely untouched.

Only when they heard Victoria's panicked voice through the walls, did Alejandro looked up from the journal. Felipe led Alejandro out of the cave and when Victoria rushed through the library again she launched herself into the old don's arms.

"The doctor is working with him. Something is wrong. He wasn't breathing right!" Tears slid down her cheeks and Alejandro wrapped his arms around the frightened woman. "Please! He needs you!"

Alejandro wasted not another moment and rushed for his son's room, Victoria and Felipe on his heels. His heart beat echoed in his ears as his fear that his son had died, hastened his steps.

The doctor was working quickly when they arrived, one of the house staff providing requested materials to aid the man in his work. The woman looked properly horrified and she had large dark circles under her eyes, which indicated she'd received as little sleep as the injured man's family.

"What can I do?" Alejandro said quickly, eyes scanning the doctor's agitated stance.

"Nothing right now, Alejandro. His breathing is labored and I need to find a way to stabilize it."

Victoria trembled and Felipe wrapped a slim arm around her shoulders. He could tell she was on the verge of a breakdown, and he couldn't blame her. With everything she'd learned in the last few days, she had remained remarkably strong. Even Felipe could feel the strain, and all he wanted to do was sleep away all his worries.

"How did it happen? What changed?" Alejandro asked.

"He's had a huge amount of stress on his system. His lungs are working overtime to pump oxygen through his blood." The doctor continued to work as he explained. "He's very weak." He sighed and looked up into the worried faces of the people who were the most important in Diego's life. "His excellent physical condition is the only thing that saved him."

Alejandro sank slowly into a chair and Victoria immediately dropped to her knees beside him. She clutched at his hand, bringing it to her lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the weathered fingers. "He'll make it. I know he will."

"He's fighting." Hernandez smiled. "I don't think he's ready to leave us yet."

The doctor worked for a few more minutes and then collapsed into a nearby chair himself. "That was closer than I really want to admit."

"What happened?" Alejandro asked, not really sure if he wanted to know. But since the doctor didn't answer the question earlier, he felt he needed to know.

"He stopped breathing."

"It was horrible, Alejandro." Tears began to drip down her cheeks. "His chest sopped moving and I couldn't -. " She broke down before she could continue. When she glanced up again, the anguish in her eyes nearly caused the old don's heart to break. "I can't loose him like this. Not this way."

"With such love and dedication," Hernandez smiled softly. "It's no wonder he fights so hard."

"We aren't going to lose him." Alejandro placed Victoria's hand on Diego's and wrapped his own around them. "I want so terribly to put your hand in his before god and the entire pueblo."

"Have faith." The padre smiled from the doorway. "God has a way of working miracles when all hope seems lost."

"I hope he gives us another chance." Victoria exchanged a wordless look of understanding with Alejandro and they both closed their eyes in silent prayer.


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

The doctor shook his head, frowning deeply. "He's just not getting any better. I don't understand it. The wound is badly infected. And his body isn't fighting it off. He's very fit, and very healthy, his body should be providing some resistance."

"What do you need?" Alejandro asked. "Anything you need. You shall have it."

Hernandez stared sadly at the caballero. "I've treated him with every medicine that I have. I -. I have nothing else."

Tears began dripping down Victoria's cheeks and she angrily wiped them away. "You can't give up!"

"Oh, Victoria," the man turned kind eyes on the upset woman, "I will not give up on him. Just as you shouldn't. But, medically, my hands are tied. I don't know what else to do."

"Wait," Alejandro shook his head. "Diego kept a journal. I found it when I found the entrance to the cave. He - I think he mentioned treating wounds. Yes. He did. When Victoria was shot. And when I was injured." Alejandro stopped for a moment, remembering all the clues that she should have recognized. But there was no time for regrets right now, he needed to think. He'd just read that journal. "Yes! There were medical terms in there that I didn't understand." He glanced hopefully up at the doctor. "Perhaps you would be able to understand?"

Hernandez nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes. Get this journal."

But Alejandro had already rushed out the door to get the book.

Hernandez smiled hopefully at Victoria. "Diego is well known for his interest in the sciences. Perhaps we will find something in his writings that will help save his life."

Victoria said nothing, simply pressed Diego's fingers to her mouth and kissed them lightly

When Alejandro returned, he was panting heavily. "Here it is. Please. Please find something within that you can use."

The doctor took the journal from Alejandro's trembling hands and began to scan the book. It was amazingly detailed and in good order. If he could just remember around when Victoria was shot, or when Alejandro was injured, perhaps he would find some useful information sooner.

He felt a pang of guilt at reading such personal thoughts. As he scanned the pages, the doctor gained a new respect for Diego, a man trapped by his own goodness, by his desire to fight the injustice in the only way he knew he could protect those he loved. When he came to an intensely personal page, he risked a glance at Victoria, who was watching him with anxious hope.

"What?" She asked slowly.

"He loves you very much." He flattened his hand against the page and smiled.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "I know. I think I've always known. I just refused to admit it. And when Zorro-"

The doctor continued to quickly scan the pages when a few words popped out at him. He read carefully, and was smiling when he looked up. "He has done some extensive research. With all of the cuts and scrapes he's gotten over the years, he's learned how to treat them most effectively."

"Can you find something to help him?"

"Well, he talks about copying and synthesizing some serum that I had used when Alejandro was ill. It broke his fever when nothing else would. "

"I remember that."

"He mentions storing it in a cool, stable location. " He addressed Alejandro. "Might you know where such a place might be?"

Alejandro nodded. "I do." He turned to Felipe, who had just walked in with a tray of soup. "Come. I need your help."

Victoria took the tray and placed it on the bedside table.

The doctor nodded and helped the Señorita to get as much nourishing liquid into his patient as possible.

When Alejandro returned, he carried with him a small dark bottle, the stopper sealing the contents well enough to keep them free of contamination.

"I hope this is what you need." Alejandro breathed. "Felipe knew right where it was."

"Good, good." The doctor took the bottle and continued reading. "Well, and here I thought my treatment of Victoria's injury had been what saved her life." The man snorted in mock annoyance. " Apparently, Diego added a bit of his own experimental medication to my treatment."

Victoria smiled slightly, remembering back to that time when she had been shot. She had recovered quite quickly for an injury as severe as hers had been. Everyone had praised the doctor's excellent treatment. Knowing it was Diego who had aided in her recovery ripped even further into her torn heart.

"It worked." Victoria whispered, her memories shooting straight for the night she had kissed Zorro for the first time. Right outside in the de la Vega garden.

Hernandez nodded and continued his reading. "It worked incredibly well. Let's hope it works as well for the one who discovered its medicinal properties."

Felipe gestured suddenly as if remembering something. He indicated the journal and then pointed to the door motioning for Alejandro to follow him. After the two had disappeared, the doctor set the bottle down and turned the page.

It didn't take long for Felipe and Alejandro to return, this time with a smaller journal Felipe knew to contain an account of a multitude of scientific discoveries and medicinal treatments.

"Felipe this is excellent." Hernandez eagerly took the book and opened it. "Now to find the right concentration. He probably mixed this serum with something. If he used it to pack a bullet wound. This substance as it is currently would be far too thin."

Felipe nodded rapidly and made a few wild, incomprehensible hand gestures. When he realized they couldn't understand, he slowed his movements so they could follow.

"Tree?"

"Bark?"

"Sap?"

Felipe nodded at all of them as he gestured from the bottle to the journal and back again.

"Ah, here it is, then." Hernandez nodded, eyes scanning the pages quickly. "Diego did document quite clearly what was to be mixed with this serum to give it the right consistency." He glanced up at Felipe. "Does he have some kind of laboratory where I can find these items? I must admit never having heard of some of them."

Felipe nodded slowly, casting a glance at Alejandro.

"Victoria, stay with Diego, keep talking to him, make him hear you. We'll be right back." Alejandro led the doctor out of the room while Victoria flattened her hand against the unconscious man's cheek and whimpered against his arm.

"I don't think I need to remind you that what you see here must-"

Hernandez raised his hand. "I will keep this in the strictest confidence, Alejandro."

When Alejandro motioned toward the fireplace, the doctor concealed his momentary surprise when he saw that a panel had swung open. How often had he stood right in this very room? The complete and total deception just boggled his mind. But, he really had not time to think about it. Diego's life depended on his ability to find and synthesize this serum. Or so he had forced himself to believe.

Alejandro led the way into the cave and the doctor couldn't quite fight back the urge to stop at the top of the steps and gape in astonishment. His eyes slowly scanned the room and shaking his head he released a long, deep breath.

"It really was quite the deception." Alejandro admitted slowly. "The my own son deceived me so completely in my own home is not something that a man such as myself is very comfortable admitting."

Hernandez glanced around the room one more time before stepping up to the table upon which sat many finished, and un-finished experiments. It was a lab more extensive than he had seen in a very long time and he discovered a new-found respect for the multi-faceted Diego. He set about his work, reading the journal and gathering the supplies.

Felipe appeared with sealed jars from a nearby counter and set them on the table before the Doctor. Then he stepped back, wanting to stay out of the way while the man worked. He wanted to help, to feel useful, but he wanted the doctor to work as quickly as possible. The medicated paste was made fairly quickly and when the doctor nodded to Alejandro, the ranchero led the way out of the cave, Felipe on his heels.

As distracted with the task at hand as the men were, they didn't notice that someone had knocked on the door. And as the doctor followed Alejandro out of the secret panel, the alcalde stormed through the door a servant had just pulled open.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

****

Chapter 7

Alejandro froze and resisted the urge to glance behind him. The doctor slowly maneuvered himself in front of the fireplace, hoping that the alcalde had not noticed the panel that they had just walked through.

Felipe skidded to a halt as he heard the door open. He cursed himself for not checking the peep hole before exiting the cave. Now, because of his mistake, the one person who most needed to be kept in the dark about Diego's secret life had just walked through the front door.

The mute stepped back slowly, hoping the bodies of the other two men would conceal the open panel long enough for him to shut it.

"Ah! Alejandro!" DeSoto abruptly turned from where he'd been looking in the opposite direction and strode confidently up to the suddenly very nervous ranchero. "We've caught the other bandit. They shall both be hung at sundown should you wish to attend."

"Ah. Alcalde-"

If the man had been more perceptive, he'd have noticed Alejandro's hands were shaking.

Dr. Hernandez simply lowered his hands, hoping that the alcalde would not be able to see that what they held. Thankfully, he was only carrying the medicinal paste. He could have been carrying Diego's journal. He shifted slightly so that he was partially obscured by Alejandro's body. And he didn't even want to think of where Felipe was. The boy had been behind him.

"Thank you for delivering the news personally. But- I am dedicated to the care of my son." Alejandro's mind raced but he placed his hand on DeSoto's arm and turned him away from the fireplace. "I cannot leave his side."

"Ah, yes. I understand." The alcalde nodded. "Well, I wanted to deliver the news personally, and - to check on how Diego was doing." He feigned interest. His real purpose accomplished, he figured he needed to at least be polite and inquire as to the younger de la Vega's health.

"There has been little change," Alejandro arched his neck toward the hallway door, while he spoke with the alcalde.

The doctor knew instantly the ranchero's intent and he moved slowly toward that door as Alejandro kept the alcalde's attention.

"But please let's go fetch some refreshing juice. The weather is scorching out there and you must be parched." Alejandro hoped he didn't sound too eager. The servant who had opened the door appeared from the kitchen with glasses of juice. The caballero took them from the woman with a nervous smile and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you Maria."

"Juice would be lovely. It has turned out to be a very hot day outside indeed." DeSoto felt a strange nagging at the back of his neck and frowned. When he turned suddenly, Alejandro nearly dropped the two glasses of juice the house maid had just brought for them.

"Alcalde?" Alejandro winced at the nervousness in his voice.

The alcalde's eyes scanned the library. "Oh? Hmm? Yes?" He took the glass from Alejandro with a forced smile. "Oh, thank you." But his eyes swept across the room again and narrowed. "Didn't I just see Doctor Hernandez behind you?"

"Hmm?" Alejandro thought quickly. "Yes, we were searching through some texts for any information that would help in the treatment of my son." At least it was partially the truth. "Forgive him for being rude. But his first task is to care for my son."

"Ah, of course." DeSoto nodded, still a bit put off by the doctor's hasty departure, and an incessant nagging at the back of his mind.

"Now, if you will excuse me, alcalde." Alejandro smiled politely, and hoped the man didn't notice voice shaking. "I really would like to get back to my son." He maneuvered the alcalde to the door and pulled it open. "I hope he lives to properly thank you for catching the men who shot him." Then he ushered the alcalde through the mahogany door and shut it quickly before the man could respond.

As the door clicked shut, Alejandro leaned against it, breathing a huge sigh of relief. He glanced down at his hands, which were still shaking, and clenched them angrily. He could have revealed his son's secret today, and then no amount of medication would save his life from the alcalde's rage. He silently prayed that the Alcalde had not suspected anything. After a few moments, he shook his head and stared at the fireplace. "I don't know how you've done it all these years, my son. " He whispered.

"Out of necessity, of course." The padre rested a gentle hand on the caballero's shoulder.

"I'm starting to understand why there was such a need."

"Don't berate yourself too deeply. Diego will need all of your strength and support as he recovers."

Alejandro searched the padre's eyes. "From your mouth to God's ears, padre."

The friar smiled and led Alejandro back into Diego's bedroom, where the doctor had finished applying the newly made medication.

"Now we must sit and wait." Hernandez settled into a corner and picked up Diego's scientific journal. "In the meantime, I am going to continue reading and see if there is anything else in that may aid in his recovery."

Alejandro set opposite Victoria and reached down to hold his son's hand. "You've got far too much to live for, son. Wake up and share that life with us."

He noticed Victoria had not even looked up when he entered. Had probably not even been watching as the doctor applied the medicated paste to Diego's injury. With a pang of recognition, he stared at the journal that she held. She was so engrossed in reading its pages, she had curled her legs beneath her in the chair and tugged her shawl around her shoulders.

Alejandro could see the silent tears slip down her cheeks as she read and he understood all too well the emotions that must be rushing through her mind at the revelations contained within the journal. Alejandro knew that everything written in there had come from the heart. Was as true as any words his son had ever spoken.

It had broken his heart to read Diego's account of the day bandits had tried to kill Felipe. He'd called his son a coward that day and not until he read his sons account, did he realize the critical error he had made. His son had written that he had never regretted more becoming Zorro than he did that day.

Alejandro closed his eyes at the memory. He could see his son writing in the journal, could see clearly as the words were scrawled over the parchment. He hadn't seen his son cry since his mother died but Alejandro knew this incident had been the cause of tears. The words with which he described how his father had made him feel that day were the most difficult Alejandro had ever read.

When Victoria sniffled, Alejandro glanced across the bed. She wiped quickly at her tears but her eyes were red and bloodshot and her cheeks were flushed. "Victoria, why don't you-"

"No. I need to do this. I need to understand."

"My child." The padre, who had been silently watching from the doorway, knelt beside Victoria. " Often the written word can reveal more discreetly what is in our hearts, what one cannot say with ones lips. The journal may help you understand why Diego felt he needed to keep this secret from you but it won't give you all the answers you seek. "

His kind gaze swept across the prone figure lying so still in the bed. "Do not let the words cause you pain. Think of them simply as things that Diego could not say to you until the time was right."

"And if he dies before he deems that time to be right?" Victoria's voice echoed loudly in the small room and she shrunk back from the sound. "He didn't have the right to make that decision for me." She whispered.

"He didn't have the right to make decisions that impacted our lives." Alejandro added slowly. "But in the last few days, I've come to understand and accept why he did."

"I know why he did," Her voice was barely a whisper. "I just can't accept it."

"Do you accept that he loves you?" The padre asked slowly.

She risked a quick glance at Diego's serene face and closed her eyes. "Yes. I know he does."

The padre gave a small smile. "Then you know that love can make a man do many unexplainable things."

Victoria nodded slowly and even Alejandro had to smile. He'd done many an odd thing while courting his wife and even still after he'd married her. Love so deep and complete was something that everyone wanted and few actually achieved.

"I think he's loved me for a very long time. I - I just didn't realize that I'd pushed away my feelings for him because of - Zorro." Victoria admitted quietly. "He's been my best friend and confidant for so many years."

"Love built on friendship has a very strong foundation indeed." The padre patted Victoria's hand and smiled kindly.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

****

Chapter 8

It took an astonishingly short time for Diego's fever to finally break and the despondent air that had settled over the household was suddenly lifted. The doctor read through Diego's journal and managed to make some medicinal tea's that would aid in his recovery. And even Alejandro had been convinced to take a short siesta in his own bed.

Victoria was the only one who resisted the loan of a room. Instead she chose to sit in a chair with her head pillowed on her arm next to Diego's head. She'd finally fallen asleep, her fingers laced around his hand. Diego's journal rested on the nearby table.

Padre Benitez watched the Diego and Victoria with unblinking eyes. There were no two people, he thought, who better deserved to be happy. They'd waited so long for the right moment, and the wise friar had watched the two of them tiptoe around one another for years. It was time for Diego to share his secret, even if it hadn't happened in a way he would have preferred.

The padre closed his eyes and prayed once again. Not only for the injured man lying in the bed, but for the woman he loved most in this world, his family, his home and the oppressed people he had taken it upon himself to protect.

The alcalde glanced out the door, eyes narrowed.

Mendoza sat at a nearby table, collecting the new 'income' tax. Odd, though, that Zorro had not spoken one little word against the new tax. In fact, De Soto hadn't even seen him since that one evening when he'd ripped down the notice. He hadn't even gone after the two bandits who had shot Diego de la Vega.

"Heh, good," De Soto rubbed a whiskered chin. "About time they stop depending on that fiend to ride out of nowhere to defend them."

De Soto clicked the door shut and sat down at his desk. It was nearly siesta and he was tired. Well, Mendoza would take care of all the taxpayers. And anyone who didn't pay their taxes by week's end would simply have their property confiscated. The smug man stretched his legs across his desk, leaned his chair back and closed his eyes.

But a loud pounding on his office door prevented any further slumber.

"What!" De Soto hissed.

"A letter for you, alcalde," Mendoza ushered the messenger into the office and left, before the alcalde fumed even further over his siesta being interrupted.

"What is this?" He snatched the letter from the messenger. He didn't miss the governor's waxed seal affixed to the back as he ripped it open.

The messenger left as the alcalde sank into his chair, eyes scanning the official document. He huffed and slammed the letter onto the table. "Mendoza!"

It took a few moments for the Sergeant to come running. "Sí, mí alcalde?"

"I have been summoned to Monterrey and I shall be leaving at once. You will be in charge until I return." De Stoto stood and walked around the large desk. "Be sure you carry out my orders regarding the seizure of land should anyone fail to pay the new tax."

"Oh, sí alcalde." After a moment, Mendoza added. "This is a rather sudden trip."

"Indeed." De Soto regarded the Sergeant with a curious stare. "The letter is quite detailed, however."

Mendoza waited for further explanation and the alcalde scowled. "Fine, fine. All military leaders are being summoned to Monterrey to take an oath of allegiance to - Mexico." Mendoza didn't miss the snort of disgust as the alcade said the word.

"Oh." Mendoza clearly had no idea what was going on in the world, outside of his own little life in the sleepy pueblo.

As an afterthought, De Soto addressed the Sergeant. "I want your best lancers stationed outside the de la Vega hacienda while I'm away."

Mendoza gaped at the man. "Alcalde?"

"I want to know who comes and goes. That Zorro has been strangely absent is very unusual and I think it has something to do with the de la Vegas."

"But alcalde, you can't think-"

"Zorro is probably upset that his woman is spending so much time fawning over Diego de la Vega's health." De Soto laughed.

His voice changed and he leveled Mendoza with a stern stare. "Your best lancers, Sergeant."

Mendoza sighed regretfully. His friend was ill. There really was no reason for armed lancers to prowl outside the hacienda. A thought popped into Mendoza's mind and he all but skipped over to the tavern for lunch.

With the alcalde away…what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Diego." The padre's soft voice broke through the cloudy haze that was Diego's consciousness.

When he finally opened his eyes, he squinted against the daylight that poured into the room. "Ugh," Diego murmured as he tried to move but pain shot through his chest and he slumped against the cushions with an uncomfortable groan.

"Rest easy, there. You've had a very difficult few days." The padre held out a glass of water and Diego took a few cautious sips.

The cough that followed caused padre to realize that perhaps the man wasn't ready for such thin liquids. The friar hid a small smile when Diego tried to cover his mouth from the cough and found one arm buried beneath a very exhausted Señorita who had fallen asleep with her head pillowed upon it.

Diego's eyes searched narrowly around the room, trying to remember, trying to understand what had happened. The padre could see the man wanted to speak, wanted to touch the young woman's hair but he was weak, and he knew it. Diego simply closed his eyes, willing the pain to subside.

But Victoria had felt the movement and her eyes snapped open just as Diego's closed. She searched the padre's face and the heavy weight on her heart lifted when she saw him smile. When she glanced back down at the bed again, her breath caught.

He was looking at her. Diego was awake!

"Diego!" her eyes lit as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him tight.

"Vic-toria?" His voice was a mere whisper but there was a weak strength behind it. "What-" He swallowed and took as deep a breath as he could before wincing at the pain that rushed through his chest. "- happened?"

"You were shot," She answered, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Trying to protect me. Don't you remember?"

Diego closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"We were so scared, Diego," Victoria searched his face before stopping to stare into his clear blue eyes. She should have guessed simply from the unmistakable look in them. He looked at her the same way Zorro did. But she'd been too blindsided by Zorro's attention to see it. "I was so scared." When she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek, his eyes widened.

The padre had to hold back a laugh at the look of shock and disbelief in Diego's eyes. There had been a lot of changes, a lot of revelations in the days that'd he'd been unconscious. No doubt, life for the young caballero would probably get a lot worse now that he was awake and able to face the Señorita's wrath.

Diego's sharp intake of breath echoed around the small room when Victoria pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I know," was all she said before Alejandro walked in, the doctor on his heels.

Diego's eyes narrowed, not quite understanding, but had no time to voice his question before his father pulled him into a gentle hug.

"Diego! Don't ever do that to me again, son!" Alejandro clutched at the man's hand. "I'm getting too old to worry like this."

Victoria could see him swallow nervously and she bit back a bubble of laughter. She didn't think she'd ever seen Diego so truly confused. She'd make him squirm a bit yet before she told him - everything.

"Let me take a look at that wound." Hernandez recognized the panicked look in Diego's eyes and sought to rescue the confused caballero.

"Out, all of you." Hernandez gazed around the room and shuffled Victoria and Alejandro out the door.

Felipe joined Alejandro and Victoria as they waited outside Diego's room. Felipe began to sign slowly and Alejandro narrowed his eyes, cursing that he could not read the boy's gestures as well as his son could.

"The doctor will be done examining Diego shortly," Alejandro advised, still trying to read Felipe's gestures.

It took only a few minutes and then they were allowed back into the room.

Alejandro marveled at the change in his son. He was alert and his eyes scanned his family carefully as they walked in the door.

"Son, you look remarkably well." Alejandro sat in the chair next to the bed and gripped his son's hand tightly.

"So - I'm told." Diego rasped. His voice wasn't quite the same, having not been used for the better part of a week, and the sound caused everyone in the room to tilt their heads and regard the man curiously.

"What?" He asked, eyes narrowing in confusion. Something had obviously happened while he was unconscious and no one was talking. He turned pleading eyes on Felipe.

The boy began signing immediately as Victoria walked to the other side of the bed and sat down, far closer to the bed than would have been customary for a simple family friend. Diego struggled with an uncomfortable nagging in the back of his mind. What had she said before she'd been shuffled out of the room? _She knew? Knew what? Oh!_ His eyes widened as he turned his head slowly to look at her.

She grinned when she noticed the unvoiced question hovering in his eyes.

Felipe broke the uncomfortable silence by addressing Diego, hoping the man would be able to understand him.

"The alcalde - has been summoned to - Monterrey?"

Victoria and Alejandro exchanged concerned looks.

"There's - more?" Diego took a small sip of water Victoria offered, his eyes darting from Felipe to the woman he loved.

"The alcalde - ordered the hacienda to be - watched?"

"What?" Alejandro stood suddenly and turned to Felipe. "When did you hear this?"

"Just today?" Diego translated. He exchanged a confused glance with his father and then Victoria. _Just what had happened while he was unconscious?_

A knock on the bedroom door drew their attention and when the maid called for Alejandro, the man excused himself with a polite nod, drawing the doctor and Felipe out with him.

Diego covered Victoria's hand with his own, his eyes imploring her for an explanation.

She smiled slightly and brushed a lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead. "Zorro has not been seen since you were shot." She waited a moment for those words to sink in. "And the alcalde himself had to capture the bandits responsible." She searched his eyes for a sign of understanding but she continued before he could speak. "He was quite annoyed that Zorro had not apprehended them before he was forced to take some action."

"Oh." Diego's eyes dropped to their entwined hands.

"I'd never noticed that before." She commented slowly and he forced himself to look at her.

"What?"

"That you never look me in the eyes."

"Oh. Well-"

"Spare me the excuses, Diego." Victoria had decided she wouldn't get angry, would give him the chance to explain, but, she was growing impatient and she knew if given so much as a moment, he'd take as much time as he could to devise an excuse. And she would believe him. Just like she always did.

She noticed him swallow nervously and hid a grin of delight. No, she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Victoria-"

"Diego. Be honest with me. No more lies. No more deception. Tell me the truth."

__

Well, she obviously knew. But how?

"You have a distinct advantage, Victoria." Diego began, taking another sip of water as she pressed the glass to his lips. "You know something that I haven't revealed to you. Not consciously, anyway."

"No." Victoria's eyes narrowed and he all of a sudden regretted speaking. "You chose to keep this news to yourself. Leaving those who care about you, who - love you, to live unknowingly with your deceit."

He forced himself not to look away. She needed to speak and he needed to hear whatever scathing words she had to say. Fortunately, his voice was steadying but it was raspier and deeper than normal. Even this seemed to irritate the fiery-tempered Señorita.

"What if you'd died?" her eyes were wet with unshed tears and his heart lurched. If there was one thing in this world he couldn't stand to see, it was a woman cry.

"I've written letters," Diego admitted slowly. "In the event of my death."

Her eyes flashed and he nearly regretted the admission. But she wanted to know. He might as well tell her everything.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Alejandro re-entered the room and sat himself comfortably in a chair next to Diego's bed and crossed his arms.

Diego wasn't sure which one of them frightened him more. Victoria's wild, somewhat uncontrollable temper, or his father's cool, calm, and silent one.

"Your mother's wedding ring?" Alejandro asked with an amused glint in his eye that was lost on Diego.

Diego swallowed nervously. So they'd discovered the ring. How? He wondered. He hadn't expected to start with this. But, he supposed he should have. He did, after all, take something that, while reserved for Diego's future wife, was not yet truly his.

"Do you know how distraught I've been over thinking I'd lost it?"

Diego winced and glanced at Victoria who sat staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm not feeling too well," Diego feigned a headache. He needed some time to think about this. And he didn't have the presence of mind to answer a deluge of questions right now. He was tired and weak.

"Oh no you don't, son-" Alejandro started but Victoria stood and silenced him.

"Diego Sebastian de la Vega."

Diego winced. He couldn't remember a time that she had ever used his full name. And the only time he'd ever heard his full name used it was dripping from his mother's lips like venom. He anticipated hearing it a lot more often now that Victoria knew the truth. No doubt it'd take her a long time to get over his deception.

"You will either talk to us now, or talk to us later. But we _will_ speak of this."

He tried to rub his face but moving his arms more than a few inches caused more than just a little pain to shoot through his chest.

"I think later would be good. I'm still a bit drowsy-"

"Fine," Victoria stalked around the side of the bed, took Alejandro's arm and pulled him out of the room. "We'll be back later."

Diego winced and exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Just as he closed his eyes, Felipe slipped into the room.

"Felipe!" Diego winced as he tried to move too suddenly. "What happened? They know? How? Tell me everything."

Diego slumped further into the bed, his face an unreadable mask. The revelation of his identity hadn't played out in any way like he'd envisioned. But he hadn't been rent limb from limb yet, so that had to be a good thing.

"So, rumor is the alcalde is being summoned to Monterrey to sign an oath of allegiance to Mexico?" Diego repeated what he thought Felipe had signed. "Interesting. If that's true, we should see a change in governmental leadership very soon."

Felipe shrugged not quite sure what to say. He'd only ever known Spanish California. But it had been a bloody fight. One he wouldn't want to see yet again if Mexican soldiers took charge of Alta California.

Diego, understanding the boy's fear sought to alley it. "The King doesn't have the military strength here to repel a direct attack by the Mexican army. He's embroiled with a war at his doorstep. It doesn't surprise me that he would let California go without so much as a fight."

Felipe nodded and as their conversation lulled, Diego's eyes began to close. Soon he was fast asleep, Felipe sitting watch in a nearby chair.

The next day, Victoria once again was sitting beside the bed waiting for Diego to explain. She found it difficult to be angry with him for long because he was obviously in pain. But she wanted to make sure he was not going to get away with such deception so easily.

"I'm going to be performing penance for a very long time over this, aren't I?" Diego asked slowly. He was a bit worried that Victoria would never forgive him. But he knew their love was real, was strong, and he was determined to do anything, for as long as necessary, as long as she forgave him for lying to her.

Victoria stared at Diego, her eyes hard. "Oh, I believe it will take _years_ for me to forgive you."

"Well, then, perhaps I should begin now." His eyes were soft, but she didn't miss the twinkle in them as he leaned gingerly towards her.

Victoria tried her hardest to resist the pull of her heart, determined that she wanted to stay mad at him for his deceit. But his wince of pain as he leaned toward her prompted her to slide closer to him, and when his lips met hers in a gentle kiss, her resolve came crumbling down around her head.

She smiled against his mouth and leaned into his strong, familiar embrace. When his lips trailed down her cheek, she whispered, "Yes, I think you will be performing penance for a long time to come."

END


End file.
